The Prodigal Stray
by DMenace
Summary: Blake ran after the fall of Beacon. Her best friend had nearly bled to death in her arms, and now she's being haunted by an unrelenting shadow of herself that accuses her of being cowardly and self-serving. If the Grimm don't find her first, she'll die of hypothermia or pneumonia. All she has now are embers to hold onto, and the fading memory of her best friend.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Fleeting Shadows

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 **(A/N: This story was inspired by the writing prompt "Blake's clones won't go away", and** **takes place after an alternate Volume 3 where Blake still ran away, but instead of losing her arm, Yang was _severely_ injured in a brutal fight with Adam. She lost the use of her right arm, received a life threatening stab to the chest, and was in critical condition when Blake tearfully ran away. This narrative takes place a few weeks or a couple months after, and while it uses the same canon as "The Petals Scatter Now" and "The Patchwork Prodigy", whether it actually takes place in the same universe is up to you. I hope you enjoy. God bless)**

* * *

Thunder clapped outside while the rain pummeled the stony outcropping. Nearby, a Beowolf howled signaling it had found prey, and the faunus who had seeked shelter hours earlier in the small cave hoped she was its target.

"Why did you leave?" the shadowy figure demanded. "Why do you _always_ leave, Blake?"

"I-" her voice caught on the back of her throat and began to sob bitterly. She had been doing a lot of that lately.

As a child, her best friend had been her shadow. The only _person_ who never judged her and was even more miserable than herself, until recently that is.

"Please go away!" she screamed, covering her ears and curling into a ball beside the pitiful fire. "Please..."

The shadow stretched across the cave's wall, almost like a monster hovering over its helpless prey. It haunted her everywhere she went and was merciless in its accusations.

"I'm sorry!"

"Is being _sorry_ going to make her all better?" her voice snapped back. "Is being _sorry_ going to make up for all your sins with the White Fang? In eighteen years, has running away from your problems _ever_ solved anything?"

Blake whimpered, which the shadow took for an answer.

"You can hardly live with yourself right now. How do you think _she_ feels? You left her, Blake. She was dying in your arms, and you left her dying in a hospital bed because you couldn't stand the guilt you felt looking at her. You left her when she needed you."

"Ya-" The name still hurt too much to utter. "She doesn't need me."

"Of course she needs you!" The shadow creeped across the cave floor toward her, causing the small flame of the campfire to flicker. "She woke up with her arm useless and a machine breathing for her to save your life, but you couldn't stay longer enough to thank her."

"I DON'T WANT TO THANK HER! SHE SHOULD'VE LEFT ME TO DIE! I WOULD'VE RATHER DIED THAN SEE HER-"

Something feeling like a boot was driven into her chest, and she curled up defensively.

"I wonder if _Yang_ regrets her decision. I wonder if _Yang_ can go a day without thinking about having a blade tear through flesh and cut through bone because of you."

"Please stop..."

"Not until you listen," her voice hissed back, feeling like venom in her ears.

Thunder crackled overhead, and the Beowolf howled again, closer than before.

"You haven't slept in days. You haven't eaten besides what you could forage for even longer, and at this rate you're going to die of hypothermia _or_ pneumonia before that Grimm can tear you to pieces."

At this, Blake began coughing and her fit didn't stop for several minutes. Her clothes were soaked and her body numb, but her head was vibrant as it blazed hotter than the fire.

"Are you finished?" When she didn't respond the shadow continued. "Punishing yourself isn't going to help her, and dying tonight isn't going to redeem you."

A familiar presence lifted off the girl's shoulder, and she cracked her eyes open just enough to see a butcher's cleaver dangling above her.

"Would you like _me_ to do the honors?"

The ribbon of Gambol Shroud wrapped around the girl's throat, cutting off any answer she might've given.

"How many times did she let you get lost in her aura? How many times did she say with and without words how much she loves you? How many times did she call you her sister, in front of her _real_ sister, and when you didn't deserve it? Even now, _Yang_ would take you back in a heartbeat and forgive you without a second thought, but if you do this she'll _never_ forgive you. Is that what you truly want?"

The girl coughed, her face beginning to turn a shade of red, but the shadow seemed to understand.

"Blake Belladonna, you are self-loathing, self-centered, and selfish. Notice a pattern? Your best friend forgave you for anything you might've done with the White Fang before you could even tell her all the terrible things you'd done. She would forgive you even now, but you wouldn't be able to forgive yourself. That's the real reason you didn't blow up that train with all those passengers. Not because of the innocent lives taken, but you wouldn't be able to live with yourself, just like now."

The shadow turned just as a large figure lumbered into the cave. Blake's tearful eyes stared at the beast that had to duck just to enter, and the fire was snuffed out as an unnatural, evil chill filled the air. The Beowolf seemed to smile at its victim, revealing row after row of teeth, but didn't seemed to regard the shadow hovering above.

"What will it be?" she asked the helpless girl. "You have a choice, but not much time to make it."

The Beowolf howled and its helpless prey closed its eyes, perhaps content that while it wouldn't exactly be a painless death, at least it would be quick.

Blake gasped for breath as the ribbon loosened around her throat, and opened her eyes just in time to see the beast dissipate in the air above her. She glanced at the shadow wielding her blade, massaging her neck and gasping for breath. White teeth flashed where her mouth should've been, and for a moment she could see a reflection of herself. Something she hadn't seen or wanted to see since the day she ran.

The shadow gave her a hand to her feet and quickly embraced her. Warmth engulfed the girl, and a familiar, cheerful voice came from the shadow's mouth.

"Always remember, Blake," the memory of Yang's voice echoed. "Always remember that you are loved totally and unconditionally. When you don't feel like you deserve to be loved, or when you don't even love yourself, always remember that your friends love you. And it doesn't matter how far you run or what you do. We'll always forgive you even if you can't forgive yourself."

The girl sobbed into the shadow's shoulder, which had grown several inches since being embraced. A calloused finger touched her cheek, and gently began wiping away the tears. Gambol Shroud was placed back in its rightful position, and steadily Blake was raised so they could look each properly.

Amber eyes stared into amber, both with puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

"It's not that long of a walk," one of them said. "If you hurry, you might still make it for dinner. On a windy day you can smell her dad's cooking, but you still imagine she's the one baking the burnt cookies anyway."

The other Blake nodded, and took a step toward the mouth of the cave and the unforgiving storm when a strong arm turned her around.

"I'll be waiting for you," said the girl with lilac eyes and beautiful hair, winking before disappearing. "I'll _always_ be waiting..."

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 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. In all honesty this story just popped in my head one night and I decided to see where the idea took me. Originally it was going to resemble canon more, but writing a story with Yang having lost her arm just didn't interest me (for various reasons) so I decided to do a _little_ bit of revising. I thought Yang nearly bleeding to death in Blake's arms would affect her more, and I liked the idea that her injuries were literally sacrificial in her hellacious fight with Adam. I don't expect this story to be very long, just a short friendship fanfic between Blake and Yang about forgiveness and sisterly love. RWBY and this story's cover image, the silhouette of Yang from the Yellow Trailer, belongs to Rooster Teeth. All credit for this story goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with a love for writing and a story to tell, but most importantly, wonderful readers such as yourself. God bless)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Emending Embers

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The orb of light shining in the distance could be seen for miles and was like a beacon of fire for all wayward travelers. Promising comfort and warmth, but more importantly, forgiveness.

Occasionally the light would split in two, get closer or further, playing tricks with the faunus' predatory eyes. She had to keep moving, that much Blake was certain. She kept forgetting what was so important that she'd leave the relative safety and protection of the cave for this monsoon, but the bright light stirred something within her reminiscent of a moth to a flame.

The fever was taking its toll. She'd cough and wheeze until it felt as though her lungs were about to burst, but she didn't dare take a moment to rest. The former huntress in-training could sense death on her heels, and right about now that's all her numb body could feel.

She didn't care if the homeowners slammed the door in her face, just as countless others had in her childhood. All she wanted was warmth and perhaps something to eat, but just like then would happily settle for curling up on the front porch beneath the comforting light.

 _'Why am I doing this?'_ She promised herself that she wouldn't forget this time.

Freezing rain seemed to strike from every direction while bone chilling winds felt like razor blazes on her skin, and she thought she may have heard another howl in the distance.

 _'I'm going to die,'_ Blake realized, though not terribly disturbed by this. For some reason she thought she may have deserve it, but couldn't remember why.

Her feet continued moving but seemingly on their own accord as if they instinctively knew their destination and wanted to get there as soon as possible.

 _'Keep going,'_ urged a familiar voice. _'Keep going, Blake. I'm waiting for you.'_

Each step was like its own new kind of agony and her delirium was only getting worse. She imagined that the light was one of those awful laser pointers her friends would occasionally tease her with. No matter how close to the light she came, it always made a mockery of her by retreating back, and she highly doubted she'd ever get the chance to scold whoever was shining it.

At last, the journey of Blake Belladonna came to an end. The light was still in the distance, how far her blurry eyes couldn't tell. She fell to her knees and decided this mud puddle would be her grave. The thought of dying alone had never troubled her before, as it was somehow only fitting that she'd end her life how she lived it. But that had changed recently, and so she called out the only name she could remember. The only one she wanted beside her when her end came.

"Yang," she cried as strongly as she could. "Please, Yang..."

The light in the distance disappeared as though it had never existed, and the faunus let out a miserable whimper as her last hope was extinguished in front of her own tearful eyes.

With nothing else to hold onto, she began to feel her mind slipping into the void and wished it'd hurry. Blake always knew that she'd die alone someday, but she never thought it'd be of a lonely, broken heart.

A small flicker, almost like a match strike, but she dismissed it as another trick. She didn't have the strength to stand back up anyway, and even if she did, this was as good a final resting place as any other.

Another flicker, this time more like a flash.

 _'Lightening,'_ she told herself.

It happened again, noticeably closer and brighter. The light flashed once more, this time remaining and practically turned the night into day.

 _'It's beautiful.'_ Blake marveled at the stunning radiance, at a loss for words and deciding this was the last thing she wanted to see just as her vision began to dim.

The clouds momentarily parted even though it continued to rain, and a single ray of sunshine struck her, illuminating the entire world. It was painful to keep her eyes open, but even so she continued to stare in awe. In a darker time of her life, Blake had given up on angels and answered prayers. They'd never been there for her when she needed them most, but it had been a young, optimistic girl with silver eyes that had given her reason to doubt herself. However, it had been someone else entirely that had given her cause to believe again.

"BLAKE!"

The voice was familiar to the faunus, just as the light emanating from its direction was. Suddenly she could no longer see, and someone embracing her, warming her from the inside out.

"Yang..." Blake finally remembered why she had journeyed out tonight in the middle of a storm. Only, she felt as though she was still forgetting something rather important.

She opened her eyes just as the other girl pressed their foreheads together. Hands grabbed at each other as if to make sure the other were real, and her former partner's aura began washing over her, bathing her in such wonderment that couldn't be put into words. It was like reuniting with the other half of her soul after a lifetime apart, and she'd nearly forgotten how much she enjoyed getting lost in soul as radiant as the sun.

"I saw you from my bedroom window," the other sobbed. "I've been watching. Every night. I thought you were just my imagination, just like every other time, but it's you. It's really you, Blake..."

The faunus buried her face in the girl's sopping mane, the same girl who had become like her big sister. Dying in her arms wouldn't be so bad.

"Yang..." she murmured, nuzzling the crook of her neck, trying to convey everything she felt into that special name.

"Ssshhh," the blonde whispered softly. "Come on, let's get you inside."

Blake felt herself pulled to her feet and suddenly weightless as she leaned into the larger girl. Yang seemed to struggle carrying her at first. Something about her movements felt awkward, and the faunus couldn't understand why her right arm hung by her side as though it were limp. It wasn't unlike her former partner to show off her incredible strength in such a fashion, but for some reason it disturbed her.

"I'm sorry," she said, though not really knowing why. "Yang, I'm s-"

"Just promise me you won't _ever_ leave me again."

The pained words puzzled Blake as she couldn't recall ever leaving her. Hadn't they _always_ been together? She did as she was asked however, tightening her embrace. "I promise..."

They had never stopped moving, but now the blonde seemed filled with renewed determination as she marched through the storm, shielding her best friend from the worst of the rain while thunder crackled overhead. It wasn't long before the faunus was led up several steps, but couldn't take her eyes off the girl half-dragging half-carrying her.

She still wasn't entirely convinced that she wasn't dreaming, or wasn't dead for that matter. And she couldn't help mouthing her former partner's name in disbelief. Even with her normally perfect hair now soaking wet and sticking to a face much paler than she remembered, her lilac eyes shined brighter than ever. But for some reason, she couldn't stop shaking...

"Blake," Yang gasped. They were now out of the rain, and the girl in the midst of a coughing fit thought she heard a door close behind her. "You're skin and bone."

The two stopped in what must have been the front entryway, and alluring eyes regarded the faunus as if they barely recognized her. Blake stared into the lilac, admiring their beauty, and saw someone in them she didn't quite recognize either, but they somewhat reminded her of herself. She had always been lanky and known to skip meals, but the girl reflected back at her had lost _considerable_ weight. Thirty or forty pounds if not more. And she could've stood to gain some as it was.

In the lilac orbs she saw dark shadows under a sunken in pair of eyes which looked devoid of all life, and Blake decided she didn't much like this stranger.

"What's going on?" asked a tired voice coming down the stairs. Their heavy footsteps echoing throughout the house.

"DAD!" Yang cried, fear overtaking her voice. "Get some towels and blankets, and a pair of my pajamas. I found her like this just outside the yard. Oh God, she's burning up."

The heavy footsteps went back the other way but Blake was only vaguely aware of it. The entire world was spinning and becoming darker. She couldn't feel her body despite it shivering uncontrollably, and her eyelids kept fluttering on their own.

She was led into another room and lost track of time somewhere along the way, and felt a hand pressed against her forehead. Someone also may have forcibly opened her eyes, but she wasn't sure.

"Honey," the man said, "she's-"

"I know," someone sobbed. "I was so happy to see her that I flared my aura. I didn't realize-"

"It's not your fault, and I think that's probably what she needed right then. It's barely above freezing out there. Here, help me get her boots and jacket off."

Blake thought she may have been sitting, but it was impossible to tell, and wondered if she had merely fallen asleep in the cave as a fire roared across from her. Only, there were voices, but perhaps it was only her shadow again. She thought she may have heard the kinder, softer voice before, but wasn't sure about the other one. It was deeper and wasn't quite as gentle, but it had a similar cadence and she found herself enjoying the sound of them conversing.

"We can't take her to the hospital, sweetie. Even if I had a car, the road's flooded and she can't go anywhere like this."

"Then what-"

"Stay here with her. She's coughing, believe it or not that's actually a good sign. That fever's probably what's kept her alive til now, but it's about to start plummeting. I'll make her some soup and hot chocolate, and see what we've got for emergency aid. Get her out of those soaking rags that she's wearing and into something warm, then wrap her up. But whatever you do, don't massage her or use your aura-"

"I know what hypothermia is, Dad," the softer voice growled, the room becoming much warmer. "Just go. I'll take care of her."

Even their voices were becoming too difficult to understand for the young faunus. Words were being said in her ear, but they had no meaning to her. She was falling, falling, and falling still. Her eyelids flickered open but her vision had gone and soon did her hearing, and then nothing...

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 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This has been a really fun story to write, and it was really important to me for Yang to be looking out for Blake every night she was gone, but don't worry. Their much needed talk will be coming up shortly. Will Yang forgive her? I think you already know the answer. And thank you everyone for the _incredible_ support. Yang and Blake have a really fun and complicated relationship that I don't always get to fully explore in "The Patchwork Prodigy". I do want to clarify that this is _not_ a "Bumblebee" story, but Yang is Yang and despite all the "feels", I'm sure there'll be some hijinks between them. "The Prodigal Stray"** **has just come to mean a lot to me in my relatively short time of writing it, and I hope it's an encouraging story to you.** **All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and wonderful readers such as yourself. God bless)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rekindling

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Blake awoke to nausea and a pounding in her head. She tried to open her eyelids, but either they were too heavy or she'd somehow lost her vision in the night. Her first instinct told her this must be a hangover, and one that even put the morning after Yang's birthday celebration to shame. Every inch of her body ached, and she was dully aware of warm, heavy breathing on the back of her neck.

She immediately tensed up as every instinct told her she was vulnerable and in danger, but the fear driven by her skittish nature was slowly replaced by butterflies in her stomach.

Even if she couldn't see, Blake knew her face must've been scarlet, and groaned inwardly as waking up with someone in her bed definitely hadn't been the plan even if she and Sun were _technically_ still letting each other see other people, and briefly she wondered what state the other girls must've been in to let her bring a boy back to the room. Ruby would probably just giggle at the two of them, but Weiss wouldn't appreciate having slept in the same room as the opposite sex, and would demand that he leave before he saw her nightgown and got a peek at her upper thigh. Yang, of course, would've allowed it, definitely would've encouraged it, and more than likely would've suggested they _share_ while wearing that crooked grin of her's that always left everyone guessing whether she was being serious or not.

Deciding nothing could be done at this point, mostly because she'd probably die if she tried to get up, Blake shifted her position to get more comfortable when she froze. This wasn't her bed, nor was it any of her roommates'.

In team RWBY's _'official handbook'_ that'd been written in red crayon by its illustrious leader, and co-authored by her near illiterate sister, certain articles had been included during the first team meeting that ensured that no girl ever went home with a boy if they were skunk-faunus drunk. They would keep an eye on each other and make sure they all made it home safely, and awoke with mustaches drawn on their faces. Some friends they were...

Blake attempted to flare her aura to help fight the hangover like her partner had taught her, but it was as though her powers had been completely drained.

 _'Looks like you wasted all your strength last night, Blakey,' said_ an obnoxiously cheerful voice in her head. _'Must've been having my kind of fun all night long to be this sore.'_

"Shut up, Yang," she grunted reflexively.

She ran a hand over her body self-consciously. They were under thick blankets, which was good she supposed, and she wasn't naked, thank God. But she also wasn't wearing one of her yukatas. Instead, she was in a loose pair of boy shorts and a tank top, which were obviously meant for a girl with wider hips and larger-

 _*gulp*_

 _'Girl?'_

She found herself feeling more wryly annoyed with herself than upset, and found solace that at least she didn't have to worry about any _surprises_ in the coming days. And who knew? She couldn't remember anything from the previous night, so perhaps nothing happened at all. Maybe the stranger had just been kind in offering to share her bed and a pair of her pajamas. And maybe Beowolves could fly...

Slowly, she opened her eyes and glanced over her shoulder to see who she was sharing a bed with, or more precisely she realized, a couch.

 _'Couldn't make it to the bed could ya, Tiger?'_

Once the blurry objects went away and her sight adjusted to the dark, Blake realized she was staring into lilac.

"Morning," yawned someone buried under a blonde mane. "Was I talking in my sleep again?"

"You..." she snarled accusingly. "I should've known. It was _always_ going to be you wasn't it? You just couldn't help yourself could you?"

"Oh, hey, Blake. Fancy meeting you here huh?" The other girl casually parted her hair to the side as though nothing was out of the ordinary, which for her was entirely possible. "Have a good night sleep?"

"Uh, I'm never drinking again," she swore to herself, which caused the other girl to snort. "Yang, is that your hand? Actually, why do I even bother..."

"Heh, would it make you feel better if I said I sadly can't feel your Bellabooty right now?"

The amber colored glare answered her question.

"You're no fun," Yang pouted. "Want me to move it?"

"Would you mind?"

"Yes actually. I usually have to sleep with it in a sling, and it's comfortable where it's at."

Her teasing was lighthearted, but something didn't quite make sense to the half asleep, hungover faunus. Had they gotten into another bar fight?

"Why do you have to wear a-" Blake paused, realization slowly sinking in as well as horror. "Oh God, Yang! I-I-"

She tried to crawl off the couch in a poor escape attempt but the blonde wrapped an arm around her and nuzzled close.

"We can talk later," Yang whispered. "For now, let's just pretend we're back at the dorm." She began humming softly in her ear, rubbing their heads together as a show of affection. "I've really missed you, you know."

Blake's heart threatened to leap out of her chest and her body began to tremble, causing her former partner to tighten her embrace.

"Hey, hey it's okay," she soothed, massaging her shoulder gently. "You're alright, Blake. Tell me, how are you feeling?"

The other girl tried to swallow but couldn't, and made a choking sound as tears began to flow.

"I screwed up, Yang!" she wailed. "And I am so, _so_ sorry." Blake was now all too aware of the other arm beneath her, though for a different reason.

"Yeah, you did, and it hurt like hell," she said not unkindly, her voice cracking. "As a matter of fact it _still_ hurts. But you're here now, and that's all I care about."

Her warm aura flared just for a moment, and Blake rolled over in a curled up ball. She wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck and buried her face in the bare shoulder Yang was laying on, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

She cried until there weren't any tears left, and throughout, the girl she had abandoned held her, ticking her back and playing with her hair, and occasionally whispering something into her cat ears amidst her own crying.

"What do we do now?" Blake eventually rasped, her voice muffled.

"Hmm," Yang pondered thoughtfully, untangling the dark mess. "We wait for my dad to come down and find us spooning, your clothes all over the living room, and then he makes us breakfast. Sound good to you?"

Blake made a noise sounding like a mix of mortification and revulsion, as well as perhaps a _pinch_ of amusement. But whether it was from the thought of the girl's dad finding them cuddling together, or the infamous Xiao Long family cooking ability, or lack thereof, neither of them were entirely sure. Perhaps though it was simply from how unconcerned the blonde was about the entire situation.

"I'm not hungry..."

Cautiously, the arm around her pressed between them, and a warm hand moved up her shirt causing the faunus' breath to hitch as it tickled. Soft fingers she remembered as once being calloused rolled over her ribs, counting and inspecting them each.

"Blake, I could see your ribs poking out last night, and I can feel them. You've been wasting away, and you're practically skin and bone. Do you realize how jealous Weiss would be if she saw you right now?"

The sickly girl snorted despite herself, and let out a soft chuckle that was music to the other's ears.

"You remember the time she woke up one day and decided she was a vegetarian, and ate nothing but salads for a week?"

Yang nodded. "And on the last day of the diet, she walked out of the bathroom so happy to have lost five pounds that she gorged herself on grilled chicken and low fat vanilla yogurt until she passed out."

"And she was so mad when she gained it back that she set the scale on fire." Blake smiled, an act that was almost painful. By keeping her eyes shut and focusing on her former partner's chest slowly rising and descending, and the precious heartbeat that she once heard stop, she could almost pretend things were back to normal. Perhaps this was a dream, or maybe this was what life after death was like. Either way she couldn't complain.

"Hey, did I ever tell you that after a couple of weeks together as team, I started messing with the scale before she could weigh herself?" Yang asked, to which Blake shook her head. "Weiss weighed herself every day at _exactly_ seven in the morning and ten at night, just like clockwork."

"Except weekends," the faunus remembered. "And never past midnight. She said that even calories weren't that cruel." Blake suddenly found herself missing terribly the high pitched, usually sharp voice that somehow always sounded like it was ready to break into song. "But what were you doing with the scale?" By her tone, Yang thought she might've been suspicious of foul play.

"It's not what you think, and I would never do a thing like that to her. I just rigged it so that it'd show her the same weight each time to keep her from going on diets and torturing herself, and us by extension. But if she ever started one, I'd set it back a pound, excuse me, _kilogram_ , every night _._ Rubes isn't the only engineer in the family."

"But why?"

"Because she didn't have five pounds to lose, Blake. You remember how she looked when we first met, and how it took months for her to actually start filling out."

"That was really sweet of you, Yang, but why are you telling me this?" Even with her head threatening to split in two, she thought she understood, but perhaps just didn't want to accept what her former partner was implying.

She felt a kiss between her cat ears, a wonderful sensation that lingered for a few moments, and hesitantly she looked up at the misty lilac.

"Because the two of you are a lot alike. How many times did Weiss punish herself just because she thought she was overweight? None of us cared about that, we cared about _Weiss_. And you know what, one day she started weighing herself only once a day, then stopped altogether. Not because she wasn't still worried about her weight, I know for a fact she was, but because she realized that you, me, and Rubes love her no matter what. And like I said, you have a lot in common with her, Blake."

 _*sniff*_

"Yang, I-"

"I know, and stop worrying about it."

She pressed their foreheads together, but Blake quickly buried her face again in shame. She tightened her embrace around the blonde though, who returned the affection by humming a soft tune she normally reserved for her younger sister when she was upset. The faunus hummed along to the familiar tune sounding almost like she was purring, and held onto the girl she used to share a soul with as if afraid to let go.

Just as they were both beginning to drift off, a voice thick with a Mistralian accent spoke up.

"Morning, ladies." Both their heads turned toward the tall man leaning against the entry way. Although there was only a faint light in the living room, there seemed to be a faint halo of sunlight around him. "Though, I guess it's more like good afternoon."

"Oh hey, Dad." Yang sunk down into the blankets shyly. "Don't mind us. I've just got one hand touching Blake's Bellabooty and the other up her shirt. Wanna guess which one I can't feel?"

He didn't react beyond blinking at his grinning daughter, though he did briefly glance at the scarlet faced faunus who was trying her best to look innocent, which around Yang was nearly impossible.

She smacked the girl's hand away, which seemed to only encourage her, and forced a smile. "Hello, Mr. Xiao Long."

He stiffened, and for a moment seemed unsure what to say. "Hello, Blake. Good to see you again. Please, call me Taiyang. Or Tai for short."

The professor and now part-time huntsman was obviously uncomfortable, and she couldn't exactly blame him. Not after what she'd done to his daughter.

 _Both_ of his daughters Blake corrected.

Yang let out a chuckle as though something just occurred to her. "Hey, Dad. Aren't you glad the first time you catch me fooling around naked it's with another girl and not a guy?"

Blake quickly peeked under the covers, keeping her gaze averted but let out a sigh of relief when she saw her former partner was only trying to get a rise out of them.

Taiyang rolled his eyes but they seemed a little brighter than before and his lip twitched in amusement, especially the longer he studied his eldest daughter and her shameless grin.

"It'd make your pops feel a whole lot better if you didn't imply I could've caught you earlier, sweetie," he remarked dryly.

"Who would you rather I take after, you or Mom?"

"Neither," he said without hesitation. "I'd _rather_ you be like your sister and take after your stepmother."

She snorted. "Tell me, how did Summer get pregnant again? Oh, that's right. From what you and Qrow have told me, are you _sure_ you'd rather us take after her?"

Her father scowled and bit his cheek in thought for a moment, but before he could speak his daughter continued. "Nobody on _that_ team could be entirely innocent. Either you all corrupted her, or she was already like us. No offense to Summer, but being Mom's best friend and personal photographer _immediately_ raises some red flags for me. They didn't have any money for tuition, and one day going through your things I found a couple of magazines they did that you probably didn't want me seeing. To be honest, looking through them, I'm not sure who was a worse influence on who. Care to tell?"

Blake covered her mouth to keep from laughing as she'd forgotten just how quickly her former partner could turn a conversation in her favor. Taiyang for his part didn't look surprised, merely defeated while shaking his head. It made the faunus happy to see the pair interact. Her only encounter with the man had been brief, when he picked up Ruby to take her back to Patch shortly before the start of the Vytal Festival, which felt like a lifetime ago.

Taiyang was a tall, muscular man with a dark tan, and like his daughter had golden hair. It was cut short, falling just above his eyes, but in his youth he supposedly had a mane nearly as impressive as her's. Despite pushing forty, Blake thought he looked rather remarkable for his age, but the faunus could sense a heavy sadness in his eyes and smile. They were all too familiar to the faunus, as even though she'd inherited so much of her mother's beauty, her former partner had gotten her dad's best traits too. Smiling no longer came easy to him, but he still tried. At least in front of his girls.

Around his neck was a thick gold chain with a wedding band that'd been meant for a much slender finger. Even from across the room and in the dark, her sharp eyes couldn't help but catch the engraving of a dark pair of wings inside a burning heart, and a matching band around his finger. Still, even after all these years.

Blake of course recognized who the black wings had belonged to, and saw that the tattoo on the man's right bicep was the same burning heart with black wings, but inside the pair, was a small, delicate looking white rose.

Her heart immediately skipped a beat, and instinctively tightened her grip around the girl. She couldn't imagine losing what this man had, and fought the tears back down as she realized what she had done to her former partner.

"How you feeling?" he asked coolly.

Blake wasn't sure who he was asking, and couldn't find the words to speak as his familiar looking lilac eyes studied her. They almost seemed to understand what she was thinking, but Blake didn't think they looked all too happy to see her or all that trusting. She couldn't blame him of course. He had lost his partner and later his teammate, the mothers of his precious girls. And Blake had committed the cardinal sin by abandoning her own...

"She's hungry," Yang answered. "We both are."

He turned his attention back on his daughter, a wry smile on his face. "No kidding. The two of you have been laying on the couch for nearly two days, and I've only seen you get up once or twice during that time."

The faunus turned to her expectantly but Yang didn't react. "Clear out the fridge and make us some breakfast would ya."

Her father waited a moment, gesturing for her to continue.

"Pretty please, Daddy?" she begged, talking like a younger version of herself while batting her eyelashes up at him.

Tai chuckled, his smile warmer and genuine as his aura flared from across the room. "Scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and something resembling pancakes are on the way, sweetie."

He walked through the room with a spring to his step presumably on his way to the kitchen, but paused seeing the girl's clothes laying by the fireplace and how they both hid under the blankets.

"Y'all aren't naked are you?"

Yang burst into laughter and after a moment he walked away, perhaps not wanting an answer. "Oh, that's right," he recalled, "my innocent little girl apparently takes after her mom, dad, uncle, and stepmom seeing how she just had her hand up another girl's shirt..."

He walked away while his daughter thrashed on the couch.

"Now you see where I get my sense of humor!" She slapped her on the backside, trying to get her to hop up. "Come on, it won't take him long."

"But he just got in there."

"And he's had a lot of practice using his semblance to screw up breakfast."

Yang sat up, her body stiff and in obvious pain, and helped Blake do the same. The blankets fell to the floor and the faunus swung her legs over. After getting past the headache and dizziness, she glanced down at herself feeling a tag self-conscious. She was in a black top and matching shorts that showed off more skin than she would've liked, especially around someone's dad. The short's drawstring had been pulled as much as it could, but it was still loose around her hips. Wearing her former partner's clothes made her smile, but the amount of skin showing wasn't why she suddenly wanted to cover up. Her body was covered in ugly bruises. They traveled up her legs up to her stomach, chest, arms, and shoulders, and knew her face hadn't gone unscathed.

"Sorry," Yang said, noticing her gaze. "I haven't exactly felt like getting out of my pajamas lately. Actually, I haven't unpacked since we got here. Those are all my dad could find for you..."

Blake nodded. She was afraid to ask why she hadn't been getting out of her pajamas as she thought she already knew the answer, and by the way her former partner was tracing her bruises, she knew they'd be brought up very shortly.

Yang quickly fixed her hair before bending over and retrieving a sling off the floor, which immediately caused Blake's body to freeze. She glanced down at the arm dangling uselessly by her side. It had lost much of its muscle mass, and a deep scar that nearly encompassed all the way around was a few inches above her elbow. Without thinking about what she was doing, she touched the arm and brought her lips close.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, as if speaking to the arm itself. "I'm so sorry, Yang."

The blonde finished getting her arm in the sling and rested her head atop her best friend's. Blake swallowed something painful, and hesitantly glanced down at the girl's chest, but it uncharacteristically covered up, and she knew why. And it was her fault...

"Come on, Blake. We can talk about it after we've gotten some food in you." Yang took her by the hand as she simply didn't have the strength or the will to stand on her own, and once on her feet had to lean against her for support, something that was vaguely familiar to the faunus. She found herself occasionally squeezing her making sure she was real, and found herself being squeezed right back.

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This was a fun chapter to write, and I like to think Yang was making up for lost time with all of the teasing. I really enjoyed their interactions in this chapter, especially since "big sis Yang" is one of my favorite aspects of her character. She's a very physical person, and that lends itself for a lot of moments between the girls. Their big talk will be coming up soon, this just wasn't the time or place for that. Blake needed to know that she's already been forgiven before Yang gives her a much needed talking to. Yang's obviously more hurt than she is angry, but perhaps that wasn't always the case. We shall see. Also just as a heads up, I've finished writing "The Prodigal Stray" and it will be five chapters long. I say this not wanting to sneak up on anybody as there will be some unresolved issues in the end. Yang and Blake have some heavy things to discuss coming up, and their relationship probably won't be a hundred percent like it was for quite some time, but this story is to simply get them on the right path again. I hope you enjoy. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and wonderful readers like yourself. God bless)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Echos of the Heart

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Yang led Blake into a modest sized kitchen, half-dragging, half-carrying her best friend with one arm. The aroma of bacon and eggs struck the faunus almost like a slap across the face, and she found herself struggling to recall the last time she'd had a warm meal. Nose curling broth cooked over a campfire didn't count.

Her bare feet slid across the polished wooden floor until she was gently deposited at a round breakfast table with her former partner taking a seat beside her, taking deep breaths. Large glasses of orange juice had already been poured and laid out before them, and Blake found herself looking over as if to make sure it was okay for her to drink.

The blonde however was already gulping down the liquid, and with a brief hesitation Blake did the same, nearly finishing the entire glass.

She found herself choking afterward and the other girl began rubbing circles into her back. Yang couldn't help herself from smiling as the act reminded her of her sister, but her lip would occasionally twitch when she'd notice the bruises covering the other girl's body.

"We stocked up on groceries before the storm," her father said, his right hand holding the bottom of a large skillet, causing the bacon and eggs to sizzle. "So eat up, girls."

Blake glanced out the window behind him at the raging storm that had nearly been her end. The freezing rain was still pouring and she was just in time to see electricity to shoot across the sky. A clap of thunder rattled the cozy cottage, and despite bracing herself and folding back her ears, she still flinched.

Her former partner scooted her chair closer. While the faunus wasn't scared of thunderstorms, loud noises always made her uneasy, and rain in general put her in a gloomy mood. Cold, wet, and hungry was something she was all too familiar with.

"We're calorie machines," Yang said, bumping her shoulder playfully. "Dad and I pretty much burn them off with our aura, and Rubes is just as bad if not worse with all the running. Or have you noticed?"

Blake turned away from the window with a lopsided grin. "I've noticed. Weiss couldn't have gotten overweight at Beacon even if she tried with all the calories we burned a day. And it was a good thing you always carried around protein bars, because the two of you got just a _little_ cranky when you were hungry."

"With Weiss how could you tell?" she said humorously.

"And now that I think about it, your sister carrying a dozen or two cookies wherever she went probably saved our lives. I'd hate to see what she's like on an empty stomach. Speaking of which, where is Ruby? I keep looking out the corner of my eye expecting to see a cloud of rose petals before getting tackled and crushed by a bear hug."

Taiyang turned away to look out at the storming skies, and Blake glanced at her former partner who was studying the table with faux interest. The atmosphere around the once inviting kitchen changed, and she suddenly found herself wanting to slink back into the shadows.

"Rubes _snuck_ out of the house a few weeks ago," Yang whispered, almost as if she were talking to herself. "She left Dad a note saying she's going to Mistral, and that Jaune, Ren, and Nora are coming with her. They're gonna meet Pyrrha at Sanctum. She's been staying there while her ankle heals..."

Blake's breath caught, unable to look away. Ruby leaving her big sister was the _last_ thing she would've expected, and all that time alone it had comforted her to think that her former partner was with the one person who could bring joy to her life no matter how bad the day.

"She waited until I could take care of myself, and-" Yang gestured toward her father. "Let's just say when I got home, I was a mess and an accident waiting to happen, but Rubes took care of me. Just like old times..."

The blonde took a deep breath as though it were painful and swallowed. "After awhile though, she started talking about wanting going to Mistral to find those lunatics, and asked if I'd be alright without her. I lied," her voice cracked, and she struggled to blink back tears. "I told Rubes to go, that other people needed her more than I did..."

When Yang regained her voice, it was fragile and almost childlike sounding. "Rubes saw through me through. She gave me a big hug and kissed me on the cheek before she left, and told me that she loves me more than anything and that I'm the best big sis in the world, and that she'll come back. Zwei's probably curled up on her bed right now, where I was when I saw you..."

The room was silent except for the popping of grease and the occasional sniffle from Yang, who absently rubbed her cheek with an unsteady hand. Shaking her head, she wiped her eyes on her top, grief and brief flashes of anger filling them, but whether they were towards herself or her sister, Blake wasn't sure. However, the faunus wished above anything they were directed toward her.

"You're burning it," Yang commented. When there wasn't a response she cleared her throat. "Dad!"

"Huh?" He turned around and followed where she was staring, taking a moment or two to understand. "Oh, sorry..."

Taiyang scraped the skillet's contents onto two plates on the counter before cracking open several eggs and laying out more strips of bacon. Meanwhile, his crestfallen daughter watched him closely before giving their guest an expression that may have been an apology of sorts as well as something comforting.

 _'Don't worry about it,'_ Blake quickly translated, a brief flare of aura helping both the translation and in following the instruction. Even after all their time apart, she could still read her former partner's aura better than her own.

She was obviously concerned over her despondent father, and doing her best to be strong for him. Yang had once told her that the man fell into depression shortly after her mother died, but had gotten better over the course of the next few years thanks to having another little girl with another woman. That is until the death of _her_ mother. That was when he shut down almost completely in front of his daughters, with the eldest finding herself having to take care of him and her sister, becoming like a second mother to her. It had only been recently that their father had gotten back on his feet, but it seemed to Blake that he had faced more than a few stumbling blocks since their last and only meeting.

 _'And you left them,'_ she spat at herself. _'You knew what happened to their dad, and you knew it would happen again. How did you know the same thing wasn't going to happen to Yang after you abandoned her?'_

Blake turned her head gasping as a sharp knife twisted in her rib cage, but glanced back when a plate stacked with slightly crispy bacon and scrambled eggs was put on the table before her. Her glass of orange juice was refilled, and she blinked several times as if unsure what she was supposed to do. It wasn't until another plate was set beside her that she picked up her fork. "Dig in, Blake."

She wanted to savor every mouthful, but her empty stomach demanded that she keep shoveling it down or face serious consequences. She hardly paused for air, and didn't even stop when a stack of pancakes were dropped on her plate. A bottle of syrup was slid across the table and she eagerly poured it atop her meal. If she focused on her body's physical needs, then she could forget about everything else.

After she had eaten half of her plate with no signs of stopping anytime soon, food started being scrapped off her former partner's plate and onto her's. She tried not to notice how awkward the blonde's fork looked in her left hand, and simply thanked her with her mouth full, continuing eating though at a less ravenous pace. Yang watched in almost fascination of her, hardly believing what she was seeing while only occasionally picking at what she had left, and continued to fill the other girl's plate until she began to slow.

Once the faunus had done all but lick the plate clean, which she may have done if an audience hadn't been there to watch, Blake leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes sleepily.

"Thank you, Mr. Xiao Long," she sighed, her belly feeling like it may rupture. "You're a fantastic cook."

When he didn't respond, Blake cracked her eyes open to see the man's lip twitching and his brow furrowed, unsure how he should respond to the compliment.

"Dad, could you give please us a minute."

Taiyang hesitated, but solemnly glancing at his daughter, he nodded. Before he could make his way out of the room however, he turned his head.

"Thank you," he said to the startled faunus with misty eyes. "Thank you for saving my baby girl."

Without another word the tall man walked away, a door closing down the hall, and no sooner did his daughter move to the other side of the table so they could face one another, or perhaps so the black haired girl would be out of striking distance. By the way her left arm shook, the blonde might not have trusted herself...

"Blake, why did you leave?" She didn't sound angry, merely curious, and hurt.

Her best friend didn't answer, or perhaps _couldn't_ answer. She brought her knees up onto the chair and hugged them against her chest, suddenly cold as if she were back in the freezing rain.

"Alright, if you can't tell me why you left, could you at least tell me why you came back?"

Again she said nothing, only stared at the limp arm while making brief glances at the girl's chest. She still remembered how the blood felt when covering her arms, and how it pooled around them even while still pouring out...

"Are you alright?" the faunus squeaked, frightened like a small child and immediately scolding herself for being so stupid to ask such a thing.

 _'Of course she's not alright. Look at her!'_

Yang was taken slightly aback, clearly having thought she'd be asking all the questions, but hesitantly followed her gaze.

"I'm having surgery the week after next to _hopefully_ fix the arm. Doctors wanted to see how much of the nerve damage would repair itself before they went putting in metal plates and synthetics. My aura needed to get to a point where it's fixed everything it can and thinks everything is fine, otherwise it could reject the surgery and they'd have to go with a full cybernetic. It still might happen, and that would mean losing-"

She didn't finish, and Blake stared tearfully at the deep, ugly scar a couple inches above her elbow, almost encircling the entire arm.

"They called it a miracle. The only thing that kept my arm attached after he cut through the bone was my aura and whatever was left my muscles and-"

"Don't," Blake whimpered, hanging her head between her knees as the tears began flowing.

"Icky stuff I don't remember the name of because I sucked at biology. Or was that physiology?"

Yang gave her a slight grin but it only seemed to make the tears come quicker, and it fell without much resistance as if her face were glad to be rid of it.

"I did put up one hell of a fight though," she mused somberly, leaning back in her chair. "You know, this is the first time I've talked about that night with anyone. Not even Rubes."

"You shouldn't have done that!"

At this outburst the blonde frowned and her eyes became more serious. "He was going to kill you, Blake." The faunus tried to interrupt but her former partner talked over her with the first hint that she was struggling to control her infamous temper. "Your blood was dripping off his blade, and I've never been that angry in my life. I was going to kill him, or I was going to die trying."

"And you nearly did both," Blake sobbed.

Yang didn't seem particularly bothered, but she did have to blink something from her eye. "I'm sorry you couldn't save what was left of him, of the friend you used to know. But I'm not sorry I blew a hole through his chest, especially not after he made one in mine."

Bile rose in the back of Blake's throat, and her stomach threatened to expel all that she had eaten.

"And I would gladly do it all again in a heartbeat to save your life, Blake. Life without you hasn't been worth living."

The faunus let out a tormented wail that she could no longer hold back. A familiar warmth surrounded her that she tried to repel with her own aura, but her powers failed to respond.

An arm wrapped around her and a body pressed close, their heads touching. "I never thanked you for saving my life, Blake. You left before I had the chance." The blonde's tears fell onto her cheeks, staining them as much as her own. "You weren't in any shape to save me, but you kept me breathing when I couldn't do it myself, and you kept me from bleeding out long enough for the paramedics to find us."

Yang lowered her voice and tightened their embrace. "When I woke up in the hospital, the doctors didn't have an answer for how I survived other than it was another miracle, but I knew it was you. I could still feel your aura in my veins and your soul keeping mine from leaving, and it broke my heart when Rubes and Weiss said you had just left the room, because I knew you were gone..."

She shared all of her anguish in her aura, not leaving anything out, and it was all too much for the faunus to take.

"But I knew you'd come back to me someday." The blonde paused for a moment, letting her aura out now in brief waves. "Blake, I promise I won't get angry or upset, but tell me, please. Why did you leave?"

She tried to speak but unintelligible whimpers and sobs came out.

"Blake..." she whispered.

"Because she's selfish..." said a bitter voice across the table.

Yang slowly turned, holding her best friend protectively. A feminine figure made entirely of darkness sat in her former seat, its most distinguishable trait being the silhouette of cat ears atop its head.

"Blake?" Yang asked cautiously, not taking her eyes away. "Since when can your shadow talk?"

"Since she began hating herself even more than she did before," the faunus' voice answered. "She named herself after a poisonous flower, and that's what she is to everyone around her. Poison..."

"Don't you dare say that about her!"

"She believes that she deserves to be punished for what she did, and so that's what she does to herself..."

Yang's eyes began to burn, and it took all her restraint not to reach over the table and grab the shadow by the throat.

"These bruises." She raised her best friend's arm, who avoided her gaze. "You did this!?"

The shadow slowly nodded, staring at herself in contempt.

"I thought these were from Grimm! Getting you dressed, I saw claw marks all over your back! And it looked like something tried breaking your ribs!"

"Something _did_ break them," the shadow answered cruelly, holding up hands that more resembled claws. "And while she rolled on the floor of the cave bleeding, screaming and crying, I'd start all over again to remind her of what she did to y-"

Yang slammed her hand against the table, causing the plates and utensils to bounce.

"Do you have _ANY_ idea what I would do to the person if I found out they did you this to you!? Blake, look at me!"

The faunus raised their head, shaking, and surprised not to see crimson staring back at her, as well as by the tears running down her face.

"I haven't been able to sleep most nights because I can't stop worrying about you! There are days where all I do is sit in bed and cry my eyes out because of how much I miss you! And now-" She pointed at the shadow. "And now you're telling me that you've been beating the hell out of yourself? Torturing yourself? Starving in the cold with your semblance using you as a punching bag? Blake..."

The other girl couldn't answer, merely sat there weeping until someone laid her head on their shoulder.

"If you _ever_ hurt yourself like this again, I'll..." Yang couldn't finish, nor could she think of a proper threat. "Hurting my family is the worst thing anyone could _ever_ do to me, Blake. They can cut, stab, and shoot me all they'd like, but don't they dare lay a finger on you, Weiss, or Ruby."

The faunus wrapped her arms around her former partner's waist and buried her face in the crook of her neck, all the while Yang played with her tangled mess of hair or tickled her back.

"Blake," she whispered softly. "I can make a couple of guesses why you ran, but none of them compare to how much I've missed you. If you thought you could make me hate you or think I was better off without you, you were wrong. I love you, Weiss, and Ruby more than I could ever hate anyone or anything. You are all my baby sisters, and I'm the only one allowed to try and beat some sense into y'all for being stupid, alright?"

Her best friend snorted, and Yang felt her nod. "Good, now that that's over with, why don't you tell me why you came back? Even if it's because you wanted some of my dad's cooking, I won't be mad."

She was silent, and suddenly felt terror as the other girl withdrew slightly.

"Yang?" she whimpered, following her movements afraid to let go.

"I wasn't talking to you." The blonde pointed at the shadow which now was a mirror image of the faunus, and it gazed at the original with burning contempt in its amber colored eyes.

"She didn't come back because of _you_ ," it seethed. "She's selfish and can't think of anyone's pain but her own. She's spent all this time feeling sorry for herself, not _you_ , the person who nearly gave their life for her and has been nothing but compassionate. You didn't care that she was a faunus or what atrocities she may have done with the White Fang, and time after time helped her when she couldn't help herself. She. Doesn't. Deserve. You..."

The shadow leaned forward over the table as though it might attack, and Blake buried herself into her former partner, practically crawling in her lap crying, but who didn't move a muscle at the threat.

"She came back because she couldn't live with her own guilt anymore, that you nearly died _because_ of her, not because she was thinking about what kind of hell you were going through. The only time she ever thought of the hell _she_ put you through, it was in hopes that you regretted ever saving her life that night, or that the two of you ever met. But sometime during that storm, Blake realized she could either see you one last time, or die alone with the person she hates the most. I wanted to die in your arms, Yang, just like you did mine."

Yang swallowed and looked down at her best friend cradled against her.

"I believe you," she said at last, "and I don't love you any less, Blake. There's nothing you, Weiss, or Rubes could ever do to make me _not_ love you."

The faunus let out a loud sob and the other girl brushed her dark hair to the side.

"You and I share a soul now, and it sounds like you used your half to bring me back from the brink. Blake, I know things about you no one else possibly ever could, and I know what kind of wonderful person you are even if you don't want to admit it yourself."

"She's broken," the shadow murmured, eyes looking down at the table. " _I'm_ broken. She has nearly all her aura but refuses to heal herself, and now my soul is splitting apart. She hates herself, and I hate her, and she hates me. We're broken..."

Blake let out a whimper and wailed as her former partner suddenly untangled herself from the embrace and forcibly moved away from her. She watched blinded by tears, begging her not to go, as she walked around the table. Coming to a halt, Yang knelt beside the shadow and touched her cheek.

At first, the afterimage simply felt like her best friend's aura in solid form, but slowly the faunus' instincts and subconscious took over so the facade's cheek began to feel more like smooth skin, and even its clothes felt like what she was actually wearing.

Yang laid the shadow's head on her shoulder and wrapped an arm around her. "Then I'll fix you, and make you better than ever. I'll love you, even when you don't love yourself, and I promise I won't ever stop, Blake. That's not something _any_ of us deserve, it's something freely given that doesn't expect anything back."

The kitchen then became engulfed in light but Blake didn't have to shield her eyes. A flame lit within her as the most brilliant soul in the world traveled inside. She resisted getting lost in the aura, but its owner was too strong and too determined to prove something to her.

Brief images of a dark haired woman standing over her, calling her name. Another of a young woman in a white hood singing. A little girl wearing a red hood and crying. A pair of gravestones in a cemetery that she rarely visited. A beach that was her retreat away from all responsibility. Boys she thought were cute. Classrooms she fell asleep in. Even her favorite foods, songs, and little moments she cherished, like the team being in the dorm room together. _Everything._ Everything that her former partner was flowed within her, and she cried out at it was too much too quickly. Normally it was just fleeting thoughts or emotions shared, but Yang was set out on a mission to share her entire being with the girl so that she would finally understand.

Blake forgot herself, and instead found herself lost in the soul of Yang Xiao Long, the person who could turn the darkest night into the brightest day. The person who cheered up a gloomy room just by walking in, and never went a day without giving the people she cared about a hug. The first person to tell a runaway stray without a family that she was loved...

Eventually the light and the most wonderful sensation began to fade, and when her vision returned Blake saw the other girl on her knees with sweat on her brow, struggling to breath. The shadow was gone, returned to Blake where it belonged, and she could hardly keep her head steady as the two souls began separating.

"Thank you," she gasped, crying her last tears. "Thank you..."

"Heh, don't mention it," Yang gasped, using the table to stand back up.

Blake tried to stand up as well but wound up slumping against the table, ready to use her empty plate as a pillow.

"What do you say we go upstairs?" Yang picked up a small strip of bacon off her plate. "Zwei will thank me for this."

"Hmm," the faunus half-moaned, her body heavy but an incredible weight lifted off her chest and shoulders. "I'm fine, really. That just, wow, Yang."

The faunus laughed to herself, giddy from the emotional high and smiled as she was lifted up by her partner and put her arms around her.

"You're exhausted, and so am I." She took a couple of deep breaths, groaning a bit while she awkwardly adjusted their weight. "What do you say to a couple of drinks for old time sake?"

"That sounds really good actually," Blake murmured. "That'll make saying a few things easier, and I have something I need to ask you..."

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I really loved writing this chapter, and I hope that shows. With Blake's guilt and everything she's done to herself after running away, I wanted to make her as sympathetic as possible while still keeping to the core character. In my other stories, Blake's battle with guilt is one of her more prominent themes, and I hope that battle came to a nice "culmination" here. For Yang, it was really important to me that she got the love and support she needed from Ruby, who only left when she knew her big sis was strong enough, and _only_ after Yang told her she and their dad would be alright. Of course she's hurt and angry, which we may see more of in the next chapter, but she loves her sister and friends more than anything. My interpretation of aura is a bit differently than the show, in that it's your soul _literally_ being worn on your sleeve, and for teammates/partners it means you share the most intimate part of yourself with them. A team is not made up of individuals, they're simply a shared soul. And Yang shares her's the most openly of her team, and isn't afraid to show what they all might be ashamed or shy of.**

 **Adam's dead and Pyrrha's alive, which means "Nothing bad ever happened" I suppose. I didn't want to grieve anyone unnecessarily who may be a fan of her's, and if I'm going to write a story where a major character is dead, I wish for them to have a major impact in it. Plus and it shouldn't be a surprise, if I indeed write a Volume 3 pseudo-novelization someday, Pyrrha's gonna make it out okay. As for Adam, I thought if he and Yang killed each other, or tried to at least, it would make Blake that much more emotionally devastated. I also wanted some sense of finality to her story, and for Yang as well having killed Adam in a sacrificial manner to protect Blake. I suppose I wanted you to feel "satisfied" by Yang and Blake's stories as though this was their epilogue, but I hope you've enjoyed this and what is to come in the finale. There's still a few loose ends to tie up, and I think Blake has a thing or two that she'd like to say. I hope you enjoy, and I can't thank you enough for the support you've shone me.**

 **All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and wonderful readers like yourself. God bless)**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

You Are My Sunshine

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 **(A/N: If you have enjoyed reading "The Prodigal Stray" and would like to see where Yang and Blake's journey goes from here, please be sure to check out its sequel "The Twilight Dragon" which picks up shortly after where this chapter leaves off. I hope you enjoy. God bless)**

* * *

It was while leaning on the larger girl for support that Blake began recalling tales of the cozy cottage from the sisters. It was owned by Signal Academy and normally rented out to the family during the summer months, but obviously an exception had been made after the school went on indefinite hiatus. Instead of fresh air blown from the sea, they were breathing clean air brought down from the mountains in the rolling hills of Patch, where there was plenty of space for motorcycles and speed semblances to race along side each other, along with a strawberry garden out back that more resembled an orchard and replanted every year as soon as possible.

The faunus still wasn't strong enough to climb the short flight of stairs on her own, and so had to rely on her former partner whose irregular breathing pattern she was becoming increasingly aware of. Yang's skin was becoming clammy and slick to the touch, but she continued on stubbornly, only pausing once they made it to the top and a door with a burning heart and rose insignia stood to their left.

With a gentle nudge, the door creaked open and Blake's instincts and heightened senses immediately warned her of danger. Across the room with two beds, a monochrome corgi lifted its head from atop the more unkempt of the pair which had a red comforter and a matching blanket it was snuggling up with.

"Hey, Zwei," Yang called, handing Blake the strip of bacon she had nabbed from the table before stepping away. "Look what the cat dragged in."

The small dog's stump began to wag back and forth, and his long tongue fell out of his mouth as he hopped down to greet them. He gave the faunus a curious look of brief recognition, but he seemed more preoccupied looking between the girls' legs, perhaps expecting someone _else_ to come up the stairs. That changed however when his nose twitched and suddenly the girl with cat ears had his undivided attention, or more specifically, what she was holding.

The petrified faunus held out her shaky hand and the creature licked its chops. Although most found the beast _'adorable'_ , it was a facade and in reality a monster spawned out of the same pit as Grimm. It might have had all of her former roommates fooled, but Blake was far too cunning to be deceived.

Holding her breath and careful not to make any sudden moves or else risk agitating the hellhound, she dangled the strip of bacon out in front of her, the beast's head following left to right. She knew time would be of the essence or else Zwei would take a finger or two with him, if not her entire hand.

The faunus-eating beast made ready his deadly pounce, his demonic eyes rolling in the back of his head, and with all the strength Blake could muster, she threw the bacon down the stairs where the creature followed at a speed that would've made even the caped-girl jealous.

She then slammed the door shut, locking it behind her and leaned her back against it in case the hungry corgi came back for more. The blonde watched on with a raised brow while her chest continued heaving, and Blake gave her a triumphant smile and a thumbs up.

"Congratulations," Yang deadpanned. "You have now outsmarted an overweight corgi that barks at the ceiling fan. And he _still_ hasn't figured out how to open doors you know."

Blake grumbled something to herself about having saved their lives, but quickly found herself looking around the room that was in a late state of disrepair. Dirty clothes, beauty magazines, stacks of school supplies, and empty bottles were strewn about the floor, along with a pile of poorly aimed tissues by the trashcan next to the bed Zwei had been napping on. It looked as though someone, or _someones_ , had started unpacking but never finished as there were over a dozen unzipped duffle bags laying around with a myriad of contents spilling out. She eyed a couple of the magazines, unsettled as they all looked as though they'd been intentionally ripped, with all the models' once perfect bodies now disfigured.

The beds being separated by about five feet surprised the faunus. She had always just assumed the sisters would sleep in a bunk bed like they did at their home at Signal and previously at Beacon, but thought perhaps it may have had something to do with the low ceiling. Looking around, there were several posters taped to the walls, all of which were to the elder sister's liking of shirtless guys either standing at the beach or posing in rock bands, with one _particularly_ remarkable and brazen poster even for Yang hanging directly above the half-made bed with a yellow comforter. Blake caught herself staring up at the ceiling for how long she wasn't sure, and regrettably ripped her eyes away while at the same time closing her dry mouth. It had to be said, her former partner had _excellent_ taste in half-naked men.

Lightning flashed and she braced herself for the thunder. On the other side of what she assumed to be Ruby's bed before her sister had taken it over, there was a large window with the Patchwork Mountains in the distance, as well as the front walkway. However, what caught her eye were the photos atop the nightstand. One she recognized as Yang's mother, a beautiful young woman who would've been the spitting image of her daughter except for her crimson eyes and raven colored hair which matched her name. She was smiling while posing seductively in too small of a Beacon uniform as was the norm for her, but as was the case with every photo of Raven Branwen, Blake couldn't help thinking of her as the woman who had tragically died on a mission with her team, leaving behind a daughter who'd been just _barely_ old enough to remember her.

Next to her were the sisters at the beach as children building sandcastles, with Ruby perhaps five or six already the more skilled of the two. It was the last photo however, hiding slightly behind the other two that caused her heart to skip and made it difficult to breath. It was of the newly formed team RWBY, mere moments after they had walked outside from the official ceremony. Their huntress clothes were dirty and slightly tattered after having survived a day in a Grimm infested forest, but life and excitement were abundant in their eyes, even the ones who tried hiding it. Written across the top in red marker were the words _'New best friends!'_ , and Blake couldn't help but feel a sharp pain in her chest as smiley faces and hearts were drawn beside each of them.

They all looked so young, but no more so than Ruby, the youngest team leader in Beacon's illustrious history having just turned fifteen weeks before the first semester. She never looked happier as she gave the camera a peace sign while her other arm was wrapped around her new partner's waist, whose thin smile was forced looking, but the faunus had later learned it to be genuine. At the time she had foolishly found Weiss as stuck up and cold, which wasn't _entirely_ untrue, but it was only now after learning her every quirk that she noticed just how awkward and unsure of herself the normally authoritative, albeit petite, girl looked, which was the complete opposite of the blonde who practically towered over her while having a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Yang was winking at the camera, or more specifically at the cute boy she'd asked to take their picture, but the dark haired girl she had her other arm wrapped around looked as though this was the last place she'd wanted to be. She stood there with her wiry arms folded against her chest, smiling politely while looking at something off camera as though it were more important than those standing around her. Her amber colored eyes like the other girls' were noticeably brighter than usual, but Blake found herself loathing this morose girl, and wished she didn't recognize her.

She went back to the cheerful blonde, whose arm she thought looked as though it were keeping her from running away, and the longer she studied her the more sure she was that Yang had changed the most in the time since. Stealing her eyes away, the faunus found her former partner staring back at her, looking more like a young woman than the teenage girl she once resembled, and her smile almost looking painful as though it didn't belong, which she seemed to realize.

"What's wrong?" She frowned worriedly.

Blake sighed wishing this moment didn't have to come. "Take your shirt off, Yang."

"Sorry?" She blinked, cleaning something out of her ear. "Um, aren't we moving a bit quick for that? Shouldn't you at least buy me a drink first? That's how it normally works."

"You know what I mean," Blake said, her cheeks turning a shade of pink while her misty eyes burned with determination. "I'm sorry, but I need to see where he stabbed you. I _need_ to see for myself that you're alright..."

Yang swallowed as panic began setting in. For the first time she appeared to be nervous around her best friend, and the rare sight of fear filled her eyes.

Her shallow breathing quickened, sputtering like a sickly motor as her body trembled. Closing her eyes and almost against her will, she removed her impotent arm from its sling and pulled the strap of her yellow top down so it was easier to maneuver out of the way. She then played with the hem of her top nervously, but swallowing again she raised the tank over her right shoulder and nearly over her head, and after a moment shyly covered her exposed chest with her other arm, not that it wasn't anything the other girl and former roommate and locker room buddy of her's hadn't seen before.

Before, the blonde who hadn't had a concept of modestly and that lived and breathed for swimsuit season could've stood there completely naked, confident and without a shred of self-consciousness as her body was examined, especially by a friend, but all that had been taken from her.

Partially covered by her arm was a dark bruise a little wider than a hand breadth. The discolored skin was unsightly, almost reminiscent of dried blood, and even more noticeable due to her complexion being much lighter than before. As if becoming more at ease, Yang lowered her arm to show more of the injury without _completely_ exposing herself, and in an instant the faunus could feel the spinal fluid leave her cord.

A terrible, ugly scar was just to the left and below her heart, having just _barely_ missed it and pierced a lung instead, and all at once the nightmare came rushing back to Blake. Her best friend readying her final swing, prepared to guard the opponent's katana with her right gauntlet when the wicked blade effortlessly cut through it along with her arm before finding itself lodged in her chest with blood trickling down. Just as Blake had screamed her name, she watched Yang continue forward and strike Adam square in the chest with the other gauntlet, and then the sound of a shotgun ringing out.

His limp body collapsed onto the ground, followed by her's not a moment later, her arm dangling at an unnatural, sickening angle as it stubbornly hung on even with the exposed bone cleaved in two.

Blake would forever be haunted by the girl's shrill screams and whimpers as she removed the blade that was still pulsating with aura from her chest. Crimson immediately began pouring out as she applied pressure to the wound, and she had no choice but to listen to what should've been her best friend's final breaths as she drowned on her own blood, it staining her lips as she coughed and choked.

The lights of her red eyes faded to lilac before they too went out, and then the blood stopped being pumped through her fingers...

Cautiously, Blake moved across the room and raised an unsteady hand as if to touch the scar, her fingers hesitating just above the skin. Despite its vile appearance, it seemed almost harmless now.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be." Yang's chest heaved as she was having difficulty breathing. "I wouldn't do anything differently, and with my aura it's not like I'll have the scar forever. But even if I do, would it _really_ hurt the property damage that much?"

She removed the arm and with a lopsided grin gestured toward herself. Blake's face turned a brighter pink as she averted her tearful eyes laughing. She then took a step back and motioned for the girl to cover herself as she went for an infamous Yang Xiao Long hug that could break spines and/or cause asphyxiation, and the blonde did as she was beckoned, pulling her top back down and returning the withered arm to its sling.

From the relieved look of her face and from knowing her former partner all too well, Blake knew that was Yang's own unconventional way of changing the subject, but now that it would be _much_ less uncomfortable, she gladly accepted the embrace.

Blake was gentle at first thinking Yang was the one consoling her, but from the way her body shook and pressed closer, she soon realized just how much more the other girl needed this, and probably had since the day she woke up without her best friend by her side. Yang took great pride in her perfect body and her immense willpower, and having both stripped from her had left her with what she believed to be nothing.

"They're gonna take my arm, Blake," she cried. "It used to _never_ stop hurting. I could feel where the doctors grafted the bone back together, but now I can't feel anything below the shoulder. Except, I can _still_ feel his blade cutting me. It's always there, like a dull knife or candle burning. Even when I'm asleep. And... and I can still remember how my arm just _hung_ there. The bone, the skin... Oh, God..."

She sobbed on her best friend's shoulder, her walls crumbled and all pretense gone. Downstairs, Yang was the same girl who had cared for a father battling crippling depression and a shell shocked little sister after they had lost the most important woman in their lives. All before the age of ten. And later who had always been there for her teammates when they needed a shoulder to cry on. But up here in her retreat, far away from the people she had sworn to protect, Yang didn't have to be strong for anyone, much less herself.

"They're not going to take your arm, Yang."

"Yes they are," she repeated almost hysterically. "They're gonna take it, please don't let them cut off my arm. Not again. Please, Blake, I don't want a cybernetic..."

"I promise they're not gonna take it and you're not gonna need a cybernetic," Blake soothed, a little more forcefully. It broke her heart in ways Yang could never imagine hearing her like this, as she had _always_ been the strong one of the team. She was both the big sis and mom that two girls on the team never had growing up, and she was _always_ the first person at someone's side after they had a nightmare. It was against the natural order as Blake knew it, but now it was her turn to comfort the comforter.

Blake took a cue from the older sister and started playing with her hair just the way she liked, but soon found herself just holding the larger girl, letting her know she was there and that she wasn't going anywhere this time.

"Yang, you are the strongest, most amazing person I have ever met, and you are the best thing to ever happen in my life. I swear to you that you'll be back in your bikini having guys drooling all over you by summer, and after the surgery you'll be beating them in arm wrestling matches and making them buy you drinks again." She hugged her tighter, struggling to keep the tears at bay and sound strong for someone else. "But even if you don't, you're still Yang, the same person who accepted me for what I am and where I came from, and I don't know what I or anyone else would do without you..."

The blonde sniffled and squeezed her tightly until Blake thought her head might pop off like a tube of toothpaste, but finally the embrace loosened and she felt a kiss between her cat ears.

"Thank you." Yang wiped her puffy eyes on her top, her bottom lip quivering. "Speaking of drinks..."

She stumbled across the room, flustered and nearly tripping over piles of dirty laundry until she found herself at a mini-fridge in the corner that looked _awfully_ familiar. Opening the door, she retrieved two bottles filled with of peculiar liquid that changed colors on their own accord, and Blake thought she may have spied some leftovers that also looked familiar hiding in the back.

"You stole the fridge," Blake laughed, somehow unsurprised.

Yang flashed a quick grin, still wiping her eyes. "Well yeah. No one was using it, and when Weiss told the Atlesian Knights to get _all_ of our stuff, that's what they did. She got the bunk beds and flew them back to Atlas with her, and I called dibs on the fridge and the therapeutic shower head in the divorce. Your stuff-" She caught herself, then quickly lowered her eyes and spoke in a low voice. "I was having a rough couple of days, okay maybe a couple of weeks, and when Dad asked what we should do with the stuff you left at Beacon, I told him to just burn it. Your books, your clothes, and even the birthday presents you got for me. _Everything_ that reminded me of you..."

She took a deep breath, her chest still rising and falling at an irregular pattern, and glanced up to meet the faunus in the eyes who appeared ashamed as well as a little hurt, but not the least bit surprised or even upset. "But luckily Rubes was there, and they both know better than to listen to me when I'm _upset_..." She smiled sheepishly, trying to comfort the girl while still being honest with her. "Your stuff's safe at Signal's storage house, but we're not gonna be able to go anywhere until the storm lets up. I hope you like wearing tops and boy shorts in the meantime. You can try wearing some of my cargo pants or sweats if you'd like, but you'd probably need a belt. And I have _no_ idea where any of my t-shirts are."

She gestured with the bottles still in her hand at the mess all around them.

"Don't worry about it." Blake patted her on the shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I wouldn't have blamed you, but thanks for not setting my books on fire."

"Thank Rubes, and here, this should help us sleep." Yang handed over a drink, popping the cap off her's while Blake struggled for a moment. The necks of the glass bottles clanged together and they both paused briefly as if silently deciding what they should drink to. The liquid warmed Blake's insides and she couldn't help herself from smiling as it reminded her of old times, but frowned when she realized the other girl was guzzling her's down.

"You can't sleep without it can you?" She eyed the empty bottles around the room, counting a couple dozen.

Yang tilted her head back to get the very last of the drops, but once finished she shook her head.

"The sleeping pills and relaxers aren't working anymore, and Rubes hid the booze after I-" She licked her lips and suddenly couldn't look at her best friend anymore. "After I had one of my bad days, and had an _accident_..."

She was quiet for a moment, waiting for Blake to saying something, but when the faunus didn't say a word she cleared her throat. "From that day on she made herself in charge of doling out my painkillers and medication, and making sure I didn't do anything stupid." Yang's knuckles turned white as her grip tightened around the bottle, threatening to shatter it as her lip curled bitterly. "Like I said, I was having a _really_ bad day, and just wanted it over..."

Blake covered her mouth with a shaky hand, but she soon angrily grabbed the girl's arm in which she was holding the empty bottle. Her anger left as quickly as it'd come, and she soon found herself face to face with the blonde, looking at her with new found gratitude and appreciation.

"I'm doing better though, and I don't have _nearly_ as many days like that anymore. Ruby would've _never_ left if she was worried or didn't trust me. She let me have my drinks again after all, but that's mostly because I could just ask Dad and he'd buy me more. He's in charge of my pills now, but all I have to do is complain about my arm flaring up or that it feels like someone's jabbing me in the chest with a hot poker and he'll give me whatever I want." She looked out at the storm then back at her best friend, a small grin appearing as her eyes lit up. "I still have my bad days, but for some reason I don't think I'm gonna have many more days like that."

Blake took the bottle from her and interlaced their fingers together, her eyes just as bright. "Neither do I..."

Yang laughed suddenly, perhaps a sign that the alcohol was having an early effect on her, or that she was just excited and giddy to have her best friend and partner back after all this time.

"Alright, so which bed do you want? Or would you like to share?"

Alcohol or Yang being Yang? Who could tell?

She took a look at the sleeping arrangements and giggled. Okay, so _maybe_ the drinks were stronger than she initially thought...

"Yang, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but your sister and I don't exactly shop in the same clothing department." She gestured down at her gangly self. "The two of you can share a bed without a problem because she's practically half your size. If we shared a bed, we'd wind up kicking the other one out."

"Alright fine," she feigned disappointment. "Then whose-"

"Dibs-on-the-bed-and-pillow-Zwei-hasn't-been-drooling-on!"

It took the blonde a moment to decipher what she'd said, but when she did her grin widened. "Heh, you just wanna fall asleep bathing in my scent don't you, Blake-Blake?"

She snorted as the idea both appalled and amused her, something that wasn't uncommon around Yang. "My nose is stopped up, and it looks like you haven't slept in your own bed in awhile."

"You didn't answer the question, Blake-y" she sang to the other girl's annoyance. "So does that mean you're wanting to fall asleep staring up at the ceiling at my _boyfriend_ with your night vision? Having sweet dreams while surrounded by my intoxicating, heavenly _scent_ _?_ "

"N-No! And for the last time, your scent is _NOT_ _'intoxicating'_ , at least not to me,and you're _ANYTHING_ but _'heavenly'_! And stop it with the pet names!"

"Sure you don't." She winked suggestively while the other girl fumed.

"A-alright fine! _Maybe_ yes to your boyfriend, but _definitely_ no to your scent. And on that note, I think I'd rather sleep on the floor..."

"Nah, let's share."

Without warning and looking as though she were walking on a boat from the way her legs wobbled, Yang began kicking items out from between the two beds. To Blake's surprise, once there was a little clearing she then _graciously_ hopped up onto the yellow bed and carefully began removing the sinful poster which was attached to the ceiling with some sort of putty. Hopping back down, she rested her left leg against the bed frame and after posing suggestively with her so-called _boyfriend_ for a moment, she gritted her teeth from which a yell escaped, and the bed violently slid across the gap forming a single bed with her sister's.

Then with a bead of sweat rolling down her brow, she jumped back up and centered the poster perfectly in between. After she was done, she rubbed her sweaty palms on her shorts smiling coyly. "I've been meaning to do that for awhile."

Blake stared at the scene at a loss for words, but finally said what always came to mind when Yang was up to her antics. "You're incorrigible, you know that?"

The blonde shrugged and began making sure the poster was stuck to the ceiling, or was just wanting a moment or two face to face with him. While doing this, Blake noticed something familiar at the blonde's bare feet and pointed. "Is that Ruby's cape?"

"Huh?" Yang glanced down and quickly scratched the back of her neck. "Oh um, Rubes took a spare and left me- I mean Zwei with her's. _Zwei_ , he hasn't been able to sleep without it..."

Yang hopped back down and strolled over to the incredulous-looking faunus and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, much like she did to her little sister every night before bed time, causing the other girl to blush.

"Blake, I love you and I don't care if you and Weiss can't say it back because-"

"She loves you," a voice interrupted, causing both girls to jump in surprise at the shadow sitting at the foot of the yellow bed. Slowly, it became a perfect copy of the dark haired girl even down to her gaunt appearance and the bruises covering her entire body.

"Not in _that_ way," the real Blake snapped, looking at the miserable girl in contempt.

A smile flickered on the shadow's lips. "Your every thought is mine remember? Even the ones buried _deep_ down." It got to it's feet, casually strolling across the room while swaying Blake's hips in a way their owner had surely never done before.

It came to a halt before its mirror image. "Unfortunately you're telling the truth for once, Blake-y," she cooed, glancing over the blonde, her unreadable eyes lingering over her form. "What do you say we make a Yang sandwich anyway, Blake-Blake? You think about doing it all the time with Sun..."

"DO NOT!"

"Why don't you tell Yang how _we_ became such good kissers?" The shadow blew herself a kiss. "Or all those times where miss _'always lands on her feet'_ slipped in the shower and used her naked _self_ to break her fall? Or how about the time when you were fifteen and wanted to impress those boys you thought were hot so _we_ -"

Blake made a shrieking sound and the shadow laughed. Yang watched on amused, but also baffled by the conversation taking place before her.

"Alright fine," it said growing suddenly serious. "Why don't you tell her that we... that _you_ love her back?"

The faunus swallowed, and before she could say a word, the shadow turned around facing her former partner.

"She..." The shadow hesitated, clearing having difficulty. " _I_ love you Yang. You, and your sister and Weiss, are the best thing to ever happen to me. You're the only reason she can find a single redeeming quality about herself, and when we ran away I thought she'd lost that for good."

It may have had more to say, but Yang embraced the copy, careful not to break the illusion. It hugged her back, it's body beginning to feel more like the real thing.

"I bet this makes pronouns kinda tough, huh?" Yang smiled, looking between the two.

"That's all you have to say?" Blake snapped, her eyes on the floor as she sniffled.

"Talking about myself, herself, and our-self and jumping between first and third person isn't easy alright," the shadow explained, a tired expression on its face. "She- I needed a swift kick in the _Bellabooty,_ so that's what we- I did. Also, she loves it when you call it that."

"LIAR!"

Blake moved forward as if to strangle her clone but it was like grabbing actual shadows and it reappeared behind her.

"So..." the blonde drawled, looking between the two with a crooked grin. "What is this _'Yang sandwich'_ you were talking about? Is it something like _'fun in the Sun'_ that I used to tease you about? Or when I told Pyrrha how you _'wanted to climb Sun like a cat climbs a tree'_? Or the time I snuck up on you in the shower? Or that time us and JNPR were playing truth or dare? Or when..."

As she continued giving more examples, each getting increasingly more mortifying than the last, the clone merely watched passively until without any warning, it closed the distance between their lips. Yang's eyes went wide as saucers, just like Blake's, who watched herself kiss her best friend while silently screaming.

Finally after what felt like an eternity of watching the clone devour the blonde's lips it finally released her, Yang dizzy from the lack of oxygen while the shadow gave a sultry grin that quickly turned triumphant. "Finally! The great Yang Xiao Long has met her match and been left speechless! Call this payback for all the times I nearly died of embarrassment because of you, and for EVERYTHING I've ever had to put up with in public, with your sister and Weiss, _and_ when we were alone together!"

Yang's face was scarlet for the first time Blake could remember, but it was still nothing compared to her own, _especially_ not when her shadow slapped them both on the rear and winked before dissipating.

"Wow, Blake," Yang said after a couple minutes of silence, wiping her lips. "You really are a good kisser."

Literal steam was released from both of the faunus' pairs of ears as it almost sounded as though she were impressed. "You didn't have to kiss her back," she hissed, wiping her own lips subconsciously.

"I was just being polite, and _you_ didn't have to use tongue. Or _give_ your shadow a tongue for that matter..." Her face soured. "Also, your aura tastes disgusting..."

While Yang spat and tried to get the taste out of her mouth, Blake gagged and suddenly had the urge to brush her teeth as her shadow's faint, though not quite faint enough, sensations were still with her.

"I have a fever, I'm _obviously_ drunk, and my evil twin did it!" she sputtered to the blonde's laughter.

"Come on." She gestured toward the bed. "I would tease you some more, but you win for now, so let's just get some sleep."

Yang went over and flipped the light switch so they were nearly in pitch black, and Blake grabbed her by the hand to lead her safely back to the bed. They pulled the comforters back and crawled under the thin sheets on their respective sides, pulling the red cape up to their chins.

Sleeping under the covers was against the norm for Blake as too often in her childhood she'd seen them be the cause of someone's death when a hungry Grimm wandered into camp. Even at the end of her six months at Beacon she had still preferred curling in a ball atop them, but here beside her best friend, her mind was finally at ease.

Yang being a hot sleeper usually wasn't much better as she'd often wake up sprawled all over the place, and even now she was kicking the sheets away while keeping her sister's cloak covering her.

She was getting her right arm comfortable when a body pressed against her side, and turning her head she was face to face with bright amber colored eyes in the darkness.

"You were the light," she murmured in awe.

"Huh?"

"There was a light, I was following it down from the mountains. The entire time, until I forgot what I was doing, I thought it was your porch light. But that was _you_ wasn't it? You were hoping I'd see it and find my way back..."

Yang could just barely make out her expression, but nodded as her every feature was on display for the faunus.

"I should've died out there you know. I dropped Gambol Shroud, and I didn't even realize until now."

"We'll go looking for it when-" Fingers softly touched her lips.

"That's not important right now," her voice cracked. "Yang, not a day has gone by that I was actually thankful for you saving my life. Not a single one. I _still_ haven't thanked you, not just because I don't know how, but because deep down I still wish you hadn't."

Her hands moved down and removed the limp arm from its sling, and then she lifted her body up so it was resting comfortably underneath her.

"Yang," she whispered, pressing closer, "the last time I held you like this, you died in my arms, and it tore something out of me. It took every drop of aura I had left, but I _made_ your heart keep pumping and your lungs keep breathing. My soul was in your empty body, and I felt the _exact_ moment you came back to me..." She began to weep, and pressed her forehead into the other girl's. "That night was the first time I ever told anyone that I loved them, and I thought it was going to be the last. I know I have trouble saying that word, but I'm going to say it again. I love you..."

She flared her aura for her former partner who attempted to flare her's back, but she was the one swallowed up this time. While every member of the team had kept some small part of themself private when wrapping each other in their souls, Yang had always been the most generous showing her most intimate self while Blake was by far the least. Now for the first time, she shared everything, almost afraid to leave anything about herself out. Blake Belladonna became like another person as she relived events from her past, thoughts and emotions she tried to hide, and together they journeyed to discover just who this person was.

When she had spent everything she had, all that aura she had refused to use herself, their intertwined souls slowly began to separate, both gasping for breath and laughing as nothing really needed to be said now as nothing was hidden between them anymore.

"You're incredible," was all Yang could say, still hanging onto the fleeting shadows in her mind that for so long had been a mystery.

"Thank you for saving me," Blake said breathlessly. "I didn't deserve to be saved, and I don't believe I was worth being saved, least of all by you. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I promise I'll never leave you again."

"You better not," she replied sleepily. "If you do, I'll follow that Bellabooty to hell and back, and after I'm done kicking it, I'm dragging it right back here."

"Goodnight, Yang." She settled down on her back, using the girl as a pillow like she knew her partner enjoyed. "I've missed you."

"Night-night, Blake-Blake," she said, playing with her hair. "I've missed you more."

The faunus smiled as her ears were tousled and another kiss planted in between. In all her life Blake had never felt at peace, with herself or anyone else. She could hear her partner's precious heartbeat, and took a deep breath. To a faunus, a person's scent was as distinctive their as aura. She could smell roses due to the cloak atop of them, and faint traces of expensive perfume that had been a gift from the heiress. But the scent unique only to her best friend was strongest. A mixture of her special shampoos and conditioners, as well as sweat and aura.

She often found that describing someone's scent was much like describing color to a blind man, but even she had trouble putting words to Yang's. All she could think of was sunshine as her chest rose up and down, and realized after a moment that both their breathing as well as their heartbeats were synced, just as they were before.

Blake flared her aura again and she could feel the body beneath her react, and the limp arm give the most subtle of squeezes. She opened her eyes and smiled at the poster staring down at them, enjoying the view.

"I'm home..."

* * *

 **(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. It saddens me to see "The Prodigal Stray" come to an end as writing it has meant a lot to me, and I deeply appreciate all the kindness and support you've shown me the past month while writing it. I hope it has been a source of encouragement for you as it has for me, and I hope you've enjoyed seeing Blake and Yang reunite and their bond grow stronger than ever. If you've enjoyed this story and would like to see what happens next then I highly suggest reading "The Twilight Dragon" which picks up shortly after where this story left off.** **All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has made this story possible and blessed me with all of you. God bless)**


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